Volume IX - Issue IX - September 2007
PM Industry News
Pangaea Academy increases Project Management The Pangaea Academy, a subsidiary of the professional services company, Pangaea, allows project team members to gain knowledge from facilitators with many years of real-life project management expertise, says Pangaea Academy senior manager Luc Bauwmans (in photo).  The academy, which was established two years ago, trains project team members from Pangaea and from outside organisations, with a particular focus on project and contract management, says Pangaea Academy manager Marcolene Roach. She adds that all Pangaea facilitators have years of experience in their respective fields, and explains that participants, therefore, gain the expertise and practicality of first-hand facilitation and coaching. The Pangaea Academy, together with Project Management & Con-struction, forms part of the portfolio of director Francois Bosch. The New Engineering Contract (NEC 2 and 3) modules and project management courses attempt to replicate the environment of large multidisciplinary projects, through interactive role-playing and simulations. Participants include project managers, cost engineers, planners, supervisors, construction managers and contract administrators. Bauwmans says that it was a strategic decision to focus on project management, as the project environment is distinctly different from the normal operating environment owing to its interactive, fast-paced, stressful and people-orientated nature. Roach says that the skills development programme employs a three-tier approach. The first tier is the project management programme, in which the applied fundamentals of project management are examined. The second tier is the project control programme, involving cost engineering, and a scheduling and planning learning path. The final tier is the governance programme, which looks at the legislative framework of contracting, involving corporate governance, white-collar crime detection, prevention, reporting and prosecution. General skills development was the main motivation behind Pangaea Academy’s implementation, owing to the acute skills shortage in South Africa, as well as globally, for the last few years. As a result of South Africa’s current economic growth targets, the requirements for skills in South Africa are even more overwhelming, according to Bauwmans. Participants are required to pass the programmes, and undergo assessments in the form of knowledge tests, and summative assessments that comprise the participants’ personal accounts of the training programme. The course is mostly interactive, being constructed from an outcomes-based rather than academic-based approach. The programme emphasises practicality, with half of the course time spent on teamwork assignments. Feedback is then given to the group on their assignments, complemented by a model answer that the facilitators provide. Over 400 professionals have successfully completed the programme, which can be completed in one-day modules or five-day sessions, varying according to the needs of a particular organisation. The abundant availability of project management courses in today’s market, says Roach, represents one of the main challenges for Pangaea, which is creating immediate value of its learning programmes to prospective participants and their organisations. Academy offers a certification programme in which participants can attain different certification levels. In the near future, the company is aiming to offer participants the US Project Management Institute certifications, he says. Pangaea offers presentations to companies displaying interest in the course, explaining in detail what the programmes involve, says Roach. Pangaea currently offers some 24 different modules in project management, as well as contract management using NEC, in both second and third edition. Based on an article by Guy Copans, edited by: Laura Tyrer, published by Engineering News on July 20, 2007 at http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article.php?a_id=112211
HERMES - the Swiss Prince2 - Will it Throw a Reported by Alexander Matthey in Switzerland HERMES - the Swiss project management method -  The HERMES project management method is used to manage, develop and execute projects in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). It was developed by the federal administration in 1975 and since then underwent extensive revisions in 1986 and 1995. HERMES is not just in use in the federal administration as an open standard but is also used in the cantons, educational institutions and business enterprises. HERMES has become a significant success factor in numerous ICT projects and serves as a common guideline for service providers and service procurers, in particular for project purchasers, project managers and project employees.  HERMES Products All HERMES products such as handbooks, templates and other aids are publicly available and can be ordered through the following URLs: Handbooks: Key documents for the project manager and project staff. The handbook is, in a sense, the "bible" of know-how for successful project management. http://www.hermes.admin.ch/ict_project_management/manuals-utilities. Tools: Additional aids on paper and/or online to facilitate application of the method. http://www.hermes.admin.ch/ict_project_management/utilites. Knowledge: All experience and findings gathered up to now will, within the scope of the HERMES community, be exchanged and utilised for the further development of the HERMES method. A prerequisite for concrete implementation is the training of the persons involved in the project so that a favorable environment is guaranteed with respect to optimum project flow. The content of HERMES must then be adapted to the specific situation of the project in question. The adaptation, generally termed "tailoring", is explained in the first part of the handbook and is made more specific with the use of a WBS file (in Excel format). For more info, visit http://www.hermes.admin.ch/?set_language=en&cl=en
Further Consolidation in UK Project Management
Services Reported by Miles Shepherd in London ARCADIS, the Netherlands based international consultancy and engineering company, announced on 13 August that it has acquired 100% of the shares of the APS Group Companies APS Project Management Ltd and APS Cost Management Ltd in the U.K. and 70% of APS Gulf FZ LLC in Dubai. Overall, APS group employs approximately 70 people and has gross revenues of over GBP 9 million. The transaction was expected to be immediately accretive to earnings per share. Further financial details were not disclosed.  APS specializes in project management, cost control and consultancy services for real estate and property development for private clients. The company focuses on Commercial, Residential, Retail, Leisure, Telecommunications and Financial sectors. APS currently has an extensive portfolio of building projects under its management. The company is primarily active in the U.K. market and has offices in London and Bristol. The firm also has offices in Dubai, which is the operational base for APS Gulf.
ELOT, the Greek ISO member, to Develop a Reported by Theofanis Giotis in Athens Greek standard in Project Management! On Friday 10th of August 2007, Mr. Christos Folias from the Greek Ministry of Economics signed an agreement with Mr. Simferis, CEO of ELOT (the Greek ISO member) for the development of the Greek Project Management Standard.
 Mr. Christos Folias Under this agreement, ELOT will develop the Greek Project Management Standard in the next 18 months. The Greek Government, Ministry of Finance, is demanding that all organizations in Greece dealing with projects funded through Community Support Framework (CSF 2007-2012), must be accredited with this new Greek Project Management Standard by 1st of January 2009. Until the 1st of Jan. 2009, companies can overpass this requirement and can be certified with ISO 9000.  The Hellenic Organization for Standardization (ELOT) is the National Organization of Greece that: Elaborates the Hellenic National Standards; Maintains a central point for testing of materials; Assesses Management systems (Accredited by Sincert & ESYD) and Certifies products and services (Accredited by ESYD); and Provides Public or on Site Training and Technical Information. The offices and laboratories of ELOT are located in Athens and Thessaloniki. Based in Athens, ELOT represents Greece in several European and International Organizations, and is also a member of the IQNET. This article was based on information from the following sources: http://www.enet.gr/online/online_text/c=114,id=12938984 Earthquake Challenges Project Management in Peru Reported by Jose Machicao in Lima, Peru Editor’s Note: The following article submitted by our International Correspondent in Lima, Peru is a call for project managers worldwide to take a more active role in responding to natural disasters. Project management professional worldwide are encouraged to contact Peruvian Government and help management entities for information on how to help in Peru, following the massive earthquake there on August 15, 2007. We at PMForum extend our sympathies to those affected by this event.  The earth was trembling for two long minutes at 6:40pm on latest August 15th. A 7.9 magnitude seismic event shook the territory in Peru. Currently, three cities with populations between 100 and 200 thousand people collapsed reaching almost 60% of the residential infrastructure: Pisco, Chincha, Cañete and Ica. 500 people dead. All these cities are largely potential agro industrial emporiums growing, but co-living with poor segments of the population.
During all this first week of rescue projects, positives and negative things happened. On the right side, an enormous solidarity aroused from all the population, private and public organizations, and international institutions. As a positive result, many victims were rescued alive during the first three days, even from beneath the collapsed buildings. On the wrong side, it was impossible to stop the wave of robbery to the victims and to the help arriving from Lima and other cities in the temporarily slow driving highways and the sequence of actions were disorganized, making a lot of efforts useless during the first days of rescue. Peru 21, one of the most popular newspapers in Peru, published an editorial saying that Peruvian State and people have reacted with an enormous solidarity, but unfortunately it is a “disorganized solidarity”.
 This is an enormous and clear call for project management. Before the disaster, prevention had a positive effect, in fact. Especially in Lima, many campaigns promoting civil defense in companies, buildings, schools and universities, have been successful. The behavior and order of most of the population during the earthquake in Lima was good. During a TV show, for instance, people were able to leave the building walking lined up out of the building, with clear directives from the managers, without any accident of panic scene. There were no panic accidents in Lima. Unfortunately, this organization still does not reach the poorest cities in the rest of Peru. Chincha, Pisco, Cañete and Ica are far away from the inspections from the Municipalities and construction regulation entities, and most of the lack of prevention was related to construction issues. During the disaster, those towns were not provided with emergency equipment. No fuel electric generators were found in the surroundings, not the first minutes, hours and even days after the seism. All cities were in dark at nights, without water and without communications. The cell phone companies were not able to recover their service during the three first days. Internet was the only way of communication, while some electricity was left on the batteries of some laptops, but that finished quickly after the seism.
Currently, we are in the post-seismic phase. Many challenges were identified already. The government is working hard on focusing the help on the critical places, and help is arriving to them faster. Unfortunately, no explicit lessons learned system was designed. Many organizations are still helping people without a centralized information system. The highways are still under the robbery gangs. No evaluation of the rules and prevention procedures is being done. We are still under the risk of another similar disaster because the proximity of the entire cost of Peru to the border of the Nazca plaque, so the prevention has to be entirely redesigned, prioritizing the poorest and unprotected cities. Project management organizations are not as strong as they would need to be to influence government and private institutions to focus on disaster prevention, and for an optimized management of the actions during and after a national disaster. This is now an enormous opportunity to do it. As a homage and duty to those who lost their lives, houses, and belongings during this event, we, project mangers, should hear the call and continue to grow our organization for help as part of our duty to make project management a useful tool for life quality.
CH2M HILL Selected as Program Manager The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has awarded CH2M HILL, a global full-service engineering, construction and operations firm, the Program Management contract for the $5.25 billion Panama Canal Expansion program. Subcontractors on the team include DHV Group, Grupo TYPSA, CSA Group, and Earth Consultants International. The announcement was made on Friday, August 17, 2007.  "We are proud to contribute our global experience to help build not only one of the world's major infrastructure projects, but to build it in such a way as to leave a lasting legacy of sustainable socioeconomic growth and environmental responsibility," said Michael Kennedy, President of CH2M HILL Transportation Group. "We are thrilled to support Panama's incredible vision for its future."
The expansion project involves building a new set of massive locks on both the Atlantic and Pacific ends of the existing canal and will include substantial excavation and dredging. The project schedule calls for the first "Post Panamax" vessel to transit through the expanded canal in 2014, the 100th anniversary of the completion of the original canal. A Post Panamax vessel is the term for ships that are larger than a Panamax and do not fit in the original canal. After expansion, the Panama Canal is expected to be able to handle vessels up to 12000 TEU in size. "The expansion of the Panama Canal is considered one the most visible and important infrastructure projects in the world, and will affect global commerce significantly over the next century," said Garry Higdem, CH2M HILL's lead executive for the Panama Canal program. The Program Management function involves assisting the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) in the management of all contracts, interfacing with design build and construction teams, as well as numerous stakeholders. "We are honored to team with ACP in delivering this historic project for the citizens of Panama," said Jhan Schmitz, CH2M HILL's Program Manager for the Canal Expansion. "The key to this program's success will be the effective coordination of a world-class multidisciplinary team." Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, USA, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in engineering, construction and operations for public and private clients. With $4.5 billion in revenue, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management and design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record (2007). The firm's work is concentrated in the areas of transportation, water, energy, environment, and industrial facilities. The firm has long been recognized as a most-admired company and leading employer by business media and professional associations worldwide. CH2M HILL has more than 19,000 employees in regional offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.ch2m.com/. This article is based on a CH2M Hill press release received by PMForum on Saturday, August 18, 2007.
Media Partnership Program Announced by PMForum PMForum announced on Monday, August 20, 2007 the availability of a major new service for project management conferences and event planners worldwide. PMForum is now prepared to act as a “Media Partner” or “Production Partner” to support major project management events worldwide, as it has now already done successfully on three occasions in 2007.  Media partnering services available include:
Production Partnering services available include:
According to David Pells, President and Managing Editor, “PMForum is developing a reputation as one of the leading media services entities in the world focused entirely on project management. With correspondents in over 15 countries, we are reporting about major project management conferences worldwide. We are also establishing friendly relations with some of the world’s largest PM organizations and they are recognizing the value of higher visibility for their main events.” Recent PMForum Production Partnering events include the 1st Annual University of Texas at Dallas Project Management Symposium in Plano, Texas, USA (Aug 2007). Recent PMForum Media Partnering events have included the PMI Dallas Chapter’s First Annual Professional Development Day in Dallas, Texas, USA (Apr 2007); and the 21st IPMA World Congress on Project Management in Cracow, Poland (Jun 2007). Examples of PMForum partnering efforts and media coverage of those events can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/events/partner_program.htm. Future PMForum Partnering events include the 15th PMA Global Symposium on "Business By Projects" in New Delhi, India (Nov 2007) and the 2nd UTD Project Management Symposium in Plano, Texas, USA (Aug 2008). PMForum Partbering can include assistance with event planning, keynote speakers, promotion and media coverage, website development, publication of papers and presentations, and project management. For more information on Pertnering with PMForum as a Production Partner or Media Partner on your events contact editor@pmforum.org. Established in 1995, www.pmforum.org was the world’s first website devoted to professional project management and continues to be one of the world’s most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum is a company formed to operate and administer the pmforum.org website. PMForum also produces the monthly online PM World Today eJournal where articles, case studies, papers and viewpoints by leading PM authorities from around the world can be found; free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net.
Fires in Greece affecting Projects & Project Management Reported by Theofanis Giotis in Athens Unfortunately, fires in Greece have killed more than 63 people until today. More people are missing as fires mainly in the southern Greece, Peloponnese, are destroying everything in their path.  We all know that modern project management evolved mainly for dealing with difficult projects, crisis situations and wars. But it seems that project planning for dealing with fires in Greece was inadequate. Of course we must take into account other 2 factors:
The title “Project Manager” as a career path does not exist for the Greek Government and local agencies. Project Management and proactive risk management are terms that have been introduced very lately in Greece. More and more people are now talking about “proper project planning”. Everyone now understands than you cannot have “project execution” and “project controlling” without “extensive project planning”. This means the project management will be a “hot issue” in Greece for the months and years to come. The PMI Greece Chapter will contact the Greek government in the next few days offering its professional Project Management services at the Government’s disposal. Over the next few days, the European Union will announce special projects for helping the affected people and the burned areas.
Microsoft Office Project Conference 2007 Set for October in Seattle Reported by Marc Zocher in Seattle, WA, USA
The 4th annual Microsoft Office Project Conference is being held October 28 – 31, 2007 at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center in Seattle, Washington, USA. This is one of two Microsoft Office Project Conferences scheduled for 2007; the second will be held in Madrid, Spain in early December. According to Microsoft, these conferences aim to help individuals and organizations develop a better understanding of the end-to end capabilities of the Microsoft 2007 family of products and further advance their Project Management Potential. Participants will have opportunities to:
Attendees can learn how organizations are obtaining business value out of Microsoft’s Enterprise Project Management Solution. Best practices and approaches will be presented by various project management experts, including requirements for Project Management, organizational project maturity, business process mapping, resource management, time sheets, reporting, and project collaboration. Technical details and information on how to adopt, deploy, configure and customize Microsoft Office Project and the Microsoft Office EPM Solution will be presented. Highlights of the Microsoft Office Project Conference 2007 in Seattle will include:
For more information or to register, visit http://www.msprojectconference.com.
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